The limited sensitivity of current X-ray satellites (soon to change thanks
to \(e\) -ROSITA sky survey, [1]}) restricts the
serendipitous discovery of acc-SySt to those that lie within \(\sim \) 1
kpc from the Sun, implying that many of their red giants rank among
naked-eye objects (like 4 Dra, HR 1105 or \(o\)  Cet). To sample a much larger
fraction of the RG in our Galaxy, we have devised a reverse strategy, and
first exploratory results are presented in this paper: digging through large
spectroscopic surveys in search for the signatures of accretion onto a
companion to the RG, primarily the presence of Balmer emission lines having
a flux and a profile compatible with an origin in an accretion disk around a
degenerate companion. The candidate acc-SySt identified this way can
then be subjected to follow-up confirmatory observations, including pointing
with X–ray/UV satellites. The GALAH survey of the southern hemisphere
[2]} offers an ideal hunting opportunity: a large
number (aiming at \(>\) 1 million) of randomly selected southern stars in the
\(12 \le V_{JK} \le 14\)  mag range are observed at high S/N and high
spectral resolution with the AAT 3.9m telescope + fibre-fed spectrograph
HERMES, over four distinct wavelength ranges that include H\(\alpha \)  and
H\(\beta \)  lines.
